From the City to the Country

This past week I've had the opportunity to spend a normal week in the city, and also relax in the countryside for the long weekend.

Some of highlights of my week include working on a group project for my radio class with other Argentine students. While it is definitely intimidating/difficult to speak up, it is a cool way to get to know the locals, and practice some spanish. Out of class we communicate via facebook, and I made the mistake of friending the wrong Francisco. This one quickly accepted, and messaged me "gracias por agregarme eres real o un angel un beso para vos preciosa." That can be translated as, "thank you for adding me, are you real or an angel, a kiss for you, precious." As flattering as it is, just is a little taste of how creepy some of the Argentine men can be. Alex and I also experienced too many whistles and catcalls as we got lost on our way home from an delicious lunch. I ended up leading us in the wrong direction, so we got a nice tour of the city, and a 44 block walk in as well!

WAY better than Chipotle- chicken, quinoa, baba ghanoush, and guac

The best part of my week was definitely receiving a care package from Alpha Phi filled with notes, dark chocolate, my favorite oatmeal, and other yummy goodies! Waiting for 2 hours at the post office to pick it up was definitely worth it- couldn't ask for better friends to call my sisters :)

After a typical week in the city, my friends and I ventured out to the countryside for the weekend. The escape, only 2 hours away, was much needed. Saturday morning we left for San Antonio de Areco, where we spent the day exploring the quaint town. We couldn't pass up the chocolate factory, where we enjoyed our delectable chocolate in a nearby park. We then attempted to be Argentines and stopped at a mate bar where we spent the rest of the afternoon chatting, drinking mate, and eating fresh bread and homemade marmalade. A great way to spend time out of the city.

San Antonio de Areco

mate time

On Sunday, we spent the day at an estancia (a ranch). It was beautiful! When we got there, we were served empanadas and wine, so we knew we were in for a great day. After some lounging, I went horseback riding for the first time that I can remember! It was definitely a new experience, but I enjoyed it and the scenery was incredible!

Estancia El Ombu

We then enjoyed a large meal of salads, meat galore, wine, and ice cream. A typical gaucho (cowboy) also provided some lunchtime entertainment.

After lunch was when things got a little weird. A horse whisperer got pretty intimate with his horse. And then we got to pose with this horse. After lunch, we went on the horses again which wasn't as enjoyable of an experience. My horse was much bigger and liked to go fast. Not the most comfortable thing while I was still digesting my feast. We spent the rest of our time there enjoying the beautiful scenery and some much needed cafe con leche. The night we stayed in with our cheese, wine, and veggies, playing cards in our hostel- needless to say, I dominated gin rummy.

Monday we decided after our big lunch the day before, a run might be a good idea. We found a beautiful path along the river and then treated ourselves to massages, which were only USD$20! We came back to the busy city life, feeling relaxed and rejuvenated for whatever is ahead!